Wordy Wednesday 1: Crossword of Integers

Today marks the start of a new series on this blog, Wordy Wednesday, in which I will attempt to broaden my horizons and post puzzles that involve words! Yeah, I know it's A Cleverly-Titled Logic Puzzle Blog, but I had these puzzles sitting around and no better idea for how to use them. Plus, it will feel good to have regular content on here again. How long can I keep this series up? Can I reach the 10-puzzle mark and outdo Project YL?

To commemorate the start of this new series, this puzzle shall also be a contest! I was fortunate enough to have one of my Pent Words puzzles published in the second issue (June 2014) of the newest Penny Press magazine, Will Shortz's Wordplay, and will give away a signed copy of this issue to a random solver of this Wordy Wednesday puzzle. This issue includes a number of excellent puzzles by top constructors, including some Consecutive Sudoku and Shikaku puzzles by Thomas Snyder, two Helter Skelter puzzles by Brendan Emmett Quigley, a Some Assembly Required by Patrick Berry, cryptic crosswords by Trip Payne and Fraser Simpson, and much more. It's quite a thrill to think my byline is in the same publication as these other people's. If you're a fan of English-language word puzzles, then by all means buy a copy of Will Shortz's Wordplay, or perhaps try to win the signed copy I'm giving away here. (Or both!)

How to enter:
Entering is simple. Just solve the puzzle below to obtain a one-word answer, and send it toglmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Entrants who solve the puzzle within 168 hours (one week) will receive two entries in the prize drawing. After 168 hours, a hint will be posted; any solutions received within the next 168 hours after the hint will receive one entry in the prize drawing.

In the crossword puzzle above, every letter is represented by an integer from 1 through 26. You must decipher the code to reveal the words (all of which are verified by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition). Once you're done, keep an eye out for a hidden clue leading to the puzzle's final answer, a nine-letter word (which is neither of the two nine-letter words in the completed crossword).

Support me on Patreon!

If you enjoy my weekly word puzzles, please consider supporting me monthly on Patreon. You'll get sneak peeks at this blog's puzzles, and exclusive puzzles just for patrons. Thank you!

Since Wordy Wednesday 72, all puzzles on this blog use the royalty-free Tinos font. Hooray for free stuff!

About

Grant Fikes has been writing logic puzzles in an amateur capacity since 2005, and in a professional capacity since 2013. He serves as the second-most prolific contributor to the blog on Grandmaster Puzzles, behind only Thomas Snyder; his works have also appeared in Akil Oyunlari, in Sudoku Xtra, the United States Puzzle Competition (2012-2014), and in a smartphone app. Grant has also created Kakuro puzzles for Kakuro Conquest (the puzzles haven't appeared yet, for whatever reason). As a budding word puzzle constructor, Grant's puzzles have appeared in the short-lived Will Shortz's Wordplay and in the smartphone app Bonza; as an occasional board gamer, his game Battle of LITS has been published by nestorgames and Lyris Laser Studios. On the Internet, Grant has adopted the persona of a purple and cyan fox/badger hybrid.

PLEASE DO:* commission me! I make good puzzles!* become my patron on Patreon! You'll get early access to my word puzzles!* print these puzzles out to solve them on paper* copy and paste these puzzles into your preferred image editor, and solve them there* e-mail me (glmathgrant@gmail.com; I can nudge you towards a solution if you're stuck, or interact with you in other ways)* post non-spoiler comments directly on the blog (i.e., "I like what you did with the 3's", "The logic in the upper left corner was astounding")* share these puzzles with friends and link to this blog

PLEASE DON'T:* spoil the solution in the comments section for all others to see* post completely irrelevant comments (including comments consisting completely of punctuation)* claim these puzzles as your own* make money off of these puzzles without my permission